Unconditional Lover
by wildchild22
Summary: She's a run-away of the refuge, and he's a Manhattan newsie. They meet when she's coming off the harbor mid-run. They are instantly attracted to one another, but try to preserve their friendship. Will Snyder or the Delancys ruin it all for them? R&R.
1. Getting there

Laina awoke on a warm summer night in a cold sweat. She'd been dreaming that Snyder had found her and threw her back in the Refuge. It had been two years since she'd escaped, and Snyder had been chasing her since.  
  
She had left her beloved Manhattan to live in Queens, in hopes of throwing Snyder off her trail for at least a day or two. But her hopes had been disappointed when in less than two hours the cops had found her..again.  
  
Looking around the empty warehouse that she'd been sleeping in, she thought ' I should just go back to Manhattan. They'se gonna find me anyways, so I might as well be in a place I'se familiar with.'  
  
Making up her mind, she quickly packed the only bag she owned and threw it over the ledge and out onto the fire escape. She was just about to go over herself, when she heard a loud "BANG" from behind her. As the sight of the two police officers fully registered in her exhausted brain, it was only by instinct that she jumped over the window ledge, down the fire escape and out onto the deserted street.  
  
At this point, Laina was no longer thinking about how tired she was. Now the only thought going through her head was, 'Run like mad hell!'  
  
However, a few seconds later, a cop whipped out from an alley right in front of her, wiping all thoughts from her mind, indulging her with fear. They were quickly closing in on her, coming from every direction. 'If I find out who tipped off Snyder, I'll beat the shit out of them!'  
  
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An idea suddenly popped into Laina's head. 'Hit and Run'. So she snapped her fist into an officer's nose and took off running at a fast sprint, leaving the stunned police in her dust.  
  
After what felt like an eternity, she slowed down to catch her breath, and was overjoyed to see the boat docks. She glanced around, and when she was sure she was alone, walked onto a boat, figuring she'd hide on the lower deck.  
  
She walked hesitantly down the stairs. It was quiet. A little too quiet for Laina's taste. Just as she settled down under a wooden bencher heart skipped a beat. She slowly lifted her head as her jaw dropped in horror  
  
Snyder was staring at her from a bench across the hall from her. He had relaxed yet triumphant look about him. "Boy, am I getting sick of chasing after you, Miss Thomson." As she tried to get up and run for her life, she realized Snyder wasn't alone. Two police officers were coming at her carrying night clubs. Memories of the refuge flooded her mind. She wanted to scream. She wasn't about to go through that again, not as long as she could help it.  
  
While trying to think up a really brilliant escape maneuver, she suddenly thought, 'screw it, I'll jus go wit dah flow'. Deciding on keeping it spontaneous, she jumped out and kneed the first officer she found in the crotch, and, grabbing a pipe from the ceiling, swung her legs up and kicked the second officer square in the face. 'That was easy' she thought, surprised at the lack of challenge. Even though Snyder was still chasing her, she knew she was fine, because as she skipped two steps at a time on her way up, Snyder was already huffing and puffing on his way up. Knowing his style, she half expected to see all of the cities cops waiting for her on the upper deck, but was shocked (as well as greatly relieved) to see that the boat was deserted.  
  
Laina, now feeling a sudden burst of energy, decided to throw her bag back over her shoulder and swim to the docks across the harbor. After two years of running from the cops, she had become extremely athletic, so swimming wasn't work at all.  
  
The sun had just risen, and the newsies had just started to buy their papers for the day. Even though she was thrilled to be back in Manhattan, she collapsed out of exhaustion from lack of sleep and the eventful evening. As she began to fall, the prospect of her sore body hitting the pavement didn't bother her. As long as she could sleep, she could care less. But it wasn't the ground that met her first. In her half consciousness, rather than feeling rocks and broken glass along the cobble stone, there was something much more welcoming.  
  
As she was hoisted back to a level standing position, she tried desperately to focus on the warm, soft thing that was still holding her close around the mid-back and shoulder blades. As she opened her eyes, she nearly melted. The thing that was holing her, that had prevented her from falling, was a young man. Laina couldn't believe how handsome he was. He couldn't have been more than eighteen, (A/N: for those of you wondering, Laina's seventeen), with his toned muscles, tanned skin, chocolate eyes, and wavy brown hair.  
  
The boy was in no better condition. He marveled at her beauty, dumbstruck. 'Oh my God' he thought. 'She's gorgeous!' With her small, athletic figure, dark auburn hair reaching the middle of her back, creamy skin, and amazing dark honey eyes surrounded by ridiculously long eyelashes, he pleaded to know what he'd done to deserve to even be looking at her.  
  
It was a while before either of them came back to reality. He was still holding her securely, and Laina never wanted to let go. They were both in heaven. 


	2. Meeting and falling

Chapter 2  
  
The boy cleared his throat, and said in a hushed tone, "You okay?" Laina was so mesmerized by his deep voice that she melted into him, catching him off guard, but nonetheless, he welcomed her into his strong arms whole- heartedly.  
  
It took a moment before she remembered where she was, and found her voice to say, "Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?" Truthfully, he was fantastic. He had the most beautiful girl he had ever seen cuddled against his chest with her head on his shoulder. Even though they were both the happiest they'd been for a long time, the boy realized he wasn't being a proper gentleman, and slowly put distance between them again. Laina quietly whimpered. She was exhausted, and he was so warm and soft, like a warm blanket.  
  
As he pulled her away, she slowly opened her eyes, and whispered a small, "Sorry". He looked at her confused, and slowly brought one of his hands to her jaw, and lightly stroked it once before saying, "What for?" And after a few seconds of gazing into each other's eyes, he said, "Anyways, what's your name?" It hadn't even occurred to her that they'd been locked in a soft embrace and didn't even know each other's names. She quickly recovered, and cleared her throat. "Laina," she said, rather amused to see the glazed and dreamy look on his face. "How bouts you? What's your name?" The boy's heart melted. 'Laina' he thought dreamily. 'Her name's almost as beautiful as she is'.  
  
After Laina gave him a -'well?'- sort of glance, he snapped out of it. "My friends call me Mush." Laina just gave him a small grin, but then she realized how close they still were to one another. Mush, noticing this too, put his hand out for her to shake as an excuse to put some space between them, as well as lessen the awkwardness.  
  
She took it, and almost collapsed again. His hand was soft and strong, yet gentle. When Mush saw the look in her eyes, he gave a satisfied smile. That told him that she was feeling the same thing he was. And she truly was.  
  
Laina's eyes instantly glazed over yet again. His smile turned her legs to jelly. In combination to with her exhaustion, she fell completely. The last thing she could remember was her head landing on his firm chest and a set of strong arms wrapping around her middle as a deep voice whispered in her ear, "Whoa! It's okay, I've got you."  
  
The low rumble of Mush's voice was enough to complete her comfort, sending her into a dreamless sleep. Mush then picked her up from under her knees and around her back, and carried her off to an abandoned furniture store behind the lodging house. 


	3. Getting closer

Chapter 3  
  
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Okay people, I know this story is kind of corny so far, but I PROMISE it gets better. So r n r pleeeeaaasssseeee! Y'all know I love you!  
  
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Laina awoke some hours later to the sensation of Mush stroking her long hair, inadvertently stroking her cheek as well. Laina sighed in content and slowly lifted her eyelids, only to see Mush looking at her with a soft grin on his handsome face. Laina sighed again, and started to lift her head, but Mush lightly gasped, as if saying 'wait'. Confused, Laina rested her head back down on whatever it was she had been sleeping on.  
  
Mush just continued to play with her hair, confusing her even more. The only thing she knew about him was that his name was Mush and that he was indescribably hot. So it's only natural that she would be confused as to why he was being so "friendly".  
  
Despite his protests, she stood up, and found herself yet again in his arms when she nearly fell completely over as a result from standing up WAY too fast.(a/n: has that ever happened to you? If not, let me fill you in.it hurts! lol) Only now, she wanted to be held by Mush. She didn't care how much or little she knew about him, she just wanted to feel loved.  
  
Mush sensed this, and wanted nothing more than to just hold this beautiful creature in his arms for ever. Then a thought came into his head, 'too fast, she's not ready and neither are you. Let her down'.  
  
So, he decided to turn the tables on her: it was his turn to play hard to get. Mush took her by the upper arms and slowly slid her down back onto the dusty, stained, antique sofa she'd been sleeping on for nearly 3 hours.  
  
She whimpered, and gave him a look that screamed 'PLEASE', and he sat down beside her, placing an arm around her waist. She leaned into his chest, closing her eyes. "Tell me something abouts your self", she said in a tired, wispy tone. He looked around for the right words to explain it. "Well," he started, "I'm a Newsie for Manhattan, and I go by Mush, and, let's see." He trailed off as he went deeper into his explanations.  
  
They spent almost two hours telling their life stories to one another. At some points, however, Laina would pause, and get a look of despair in her eyes. Mush was confused about this at first, but after a little while, he noticed that this only happened when they began talking about her past. 'What happened?' This thought kept popping up in his head, but brushed it off, thinking he would find out at the right time.  
  
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Love, peace, n chicken grease!!!! (Okay, I know it sounds kind of nasty when you think about it, so do what I do..don't think about it.)  
  
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	4. Name and a home

A/N: Ok peeps, this is how it is right now...I sorta left out this part on the previous chappie, so, here it is, and I do apologize if it confuses you.  
  
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Laina and Mush had talked almost all night, and had gotten to know each REALLY well, and had been holding each other rather closely (* wink, wink). They had spent all night laughing, joking, and all around, having a great time.  
  
When they had finally stopped all the playing around, and had settled down a bit, Mush pulled her into a gentle hug, and she tightly closed her eyes as her head met his chest. She slowly opened her eyes one last time to find Mush returning her gaze.  
  
He lightly kissed her forehead before they both settled down and "innocently" cuddled themselves to sleep. _______________________________________  
  
When they awoke, they both knew it was moving too fast. Mush was the first to wake up, so he gingerly shook her shoulder to wake her up as well. She awoke almost instantly, and sat up, her eyes trying to adjust to the light  
  
When she looked over at Mush, his usual welcoming grin was replaced awkward and vacant expression and they were sitting with a considerable amount of distance between them. 'This couldn't be more uncomfortable if I had a fork in my side' Laina thought wearily. Mush was leaned forward, his shoulders tense with his forearms resting on his thighs, hands clasped together.  
  
Laina was at first confused by this gesture, then, after a moment of thinking about it, understood. Mush turned his head to look Laina square in the face. She just gazed back at him, a blank expression on her face. Mush then cleared his thoat, and said, "Um, Laina?" But before he could even begin, she shook her head and said softly, "Donts worry about it, its okay." He just exhaled and gave a small nod as a response.  
  
After they basked in the silence, Mush asked, "You gots a place to stay?" "Uh.." She hadn't even thought about that. Laina had been so focused on just getting back to Manhattan that she forgot to plan out a place to stay. "What abouts this place?" Mush looked around the dusty, run-down antique shop with a definite look of disapproval on his face.  
  
"Nah, you're commin' wit me to see Kloppman" "See who? Where are we--?" She said in utter confusion, but was cut off when Mush grabbed her by the wrist and started leading her out the door and up the street to the Newsboy's Lodging house.  
  
It took about 5 minutes of walking (even though the Lodging house was on the other side of the antique shop, Laina didn't know that, and he was going to take full advantage of the opportunity to talk) before Laina stopped asking questions, and walked freely beside Mush. He decided to kill the time by playing a short version of "20 questions". When the question, " How ya's planin' on buyin' ya food an' stuff?" was asked, Laian stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
That was another thing she hadn't even thought of. When she gave Mush a scared and concerned look, he just laughed and gave her a reassuring smile as he placed a hand on her upper back and led her into the front office of the Lodging House, and up to Mr. Kloppman's desk.  
  
"I found a new one Kloppman, she'll be our first goil newsie," Mush said excitedly, acting like a puppy that'd just fetched the newspaper. "Oh, I see, I see. Well, alright then, what's her name?" Mush's smile slightly fell. 'She's a newsie now, so she'll need a newsie name' he thought, then begain searching his mind for a name.  
  
'Hm,' he thought intently, 'Well, she'll need a name as beautiful as she is. Let's see..' Then suddenly, he blurted out, "Moonbeam!" His sudden outburst made Laina and Mr. Kloppman jump. Mr. Kloppman looked at Laina for a moment and said, "Alright, welcome Moonbeam. Mush, I trust you'll show your friend how things work around here. I think the room upstairs to the left at the end of the hall is empty." "Right, thanks Kloppman." With that, Mush began to walk towards the stairs, pulling Laina along by the forearm.  
  
The last she saw of Mr. Kloppman was him opening a book and writing something in it before turning around and walking out of sight. 


	5. New Room

Okay, I know it's kind of pathetic that I updated almost every day, but hey, I live in "hick-ville USA", and I have no life, so, here ya go. _____________________________________  
  
As she looked around the room, she noticed that unlike the other rooms they'd passed in the hall, this one had two beds rather than multiple bunks. There was a thin night stand next to each bed, and one large, half empty closet.  
  
"Well, this is it," Mush said, waving a hand around in front of him, as if putting it on display. "I thought Kloppman said this room was empty?" Mush suddenly wrinkled his face in confusion. 'He's so damn cute when he gets all confused!' Laina thought, smiling to herself. Mush, not paying much attention to it, said, "Hm, he musta forgot or somethin'."  
  
He walked over to look in the closet, trying to get a sense of who was currently occupying the room. All Mush needed was a quick glance and he instantly knew whose room it was.  
  
"Oh yeah, this is Jack's new room. Kloppman probably forgot since Jack just switched rooms yesterday b'cause we got a new newsie named Twiggy. Donts worry, you'll like Jack, he's real easy to talk to. Best of all, he keeps his mouth shut. You could tell him just about anything and he'll take it to the grave."  
  
Mush finished, sitting in a chair, gazing out the window with a combined look of trust and gratitude on his face. Obviously he and Jack had spent a few late hours talking in the past, and Jack must have lived up to his reputation for Mush to be speaking so highly of him.  
  
"Well," Mush continued, "since you's a newsie now, you should probably pick a job. You can do a whole bunch of stuff. You can just stick to selling papes, or ya can take up child watchin', washing dishes, cleaning houses, office woik, whole bunch of stuff. Then again," with these last two words Mush's voice had changed from thoughtful to mischievous.  
  
"If I had my way, you'd sell papes with me." A seductive grin was now playing across his strong face, which obligated Laina to answer with a short, witty tone. "And why is that, Mush?" She said this with an unusual airiness in her voice, and the look in her eyes was playing evil games with his senses.  
  
Mush wanted her back in his arms. He wanted her petite yet strong body cuddled against his chest, and her head buried in his neck. He knew there was only one way to keep himself from doing something that would jeopardize their blossoming friendship--walk away.  
  
He had just tipped his hat to her as he told her he'd let her get settled, and was headed towards the door. Laina opened one of the night stand's drawers, revealing a pair of tan pants, an off-white shirt, and a pair of socks with black boots.  
  
Suddenly, a thought came to her: 'Wait!' Mush was almost at the door when he felt Laina grab him by the arm, turning him back around to face her. She didn't want to be alone. What if Jack showed up, how would she explain to him why she was there? Besides, she wanted to spend some "quality time" with Mush.  
  
After talking with him for those many hours before they had "innocently" cuddled themselves to sleep, she knew his soul. She knew how he felt about her, whether he said it or not. Laina knew he would probably be a mirror of her haunting past, and was ready for it. But at the moment, she wasn't thinking about that. Right now, all she was thinking about was him.  
  
She wanted to feel like he wanted her, needed her. As she turned him around, and saw the longing and deprived look in his eyes, her heart melted. "I donts wanna be alone," she said, only now there was a strong hint of desperation and pleading in her voice. "Okay," Mush said softly. And after closing the door with his foot, he gingerly reached up and placed a hand on her cheek.  
  
He slowly moved closer to her, moving his hand from her cheek to under her hair and to the nape of her neck, sending fresh chills all over her body.  
  
Laina, a thought popping into her head, placed a hand on Mush's chest. "What abouts Jack, won't he come in? After all, this is his room too." Mush's lips went to the corner of his mouth in thought. "I have an idea," he said, leading her to a spot in the middle of the room. "Close your eyes." She did so, and she could hear him moving various items around the room.  
  
When she heard the window open, she instinctively put her hands out, searching the air for his presence. "Mush?" she cried out softly, getting a little annoyed by his lack of noise. She was about to open her eyes when she felt soft fingers cover them up again.  
  
"Not yet," Mush whispered deeply in her ear, then slid his hands from her eyelids down the sides of her neck, and onto the tops of her shoulders. She tilted her head to one side and leaned back into his chest as he softly kissed the curved area her neck made as it met her shoulder before returning to what he had been doing previously.  
  
She whimpered as she felt the heat of his body disappeared from behind her. But when things fell silent, she put her hands out again. Only this time there was something there to meet them. She inwardly grinned when she felt Mush's hands guide her over to the other side of the room.  
  
Laina hesitated when Mush led her up onto the window sill, the cool breeze meeting her face. Seeing this, Mush went over first, and she felt a rush of relief when her feet met the roof outside. After just a few more steps, Mush released her hands, and went around behind her. A small stroke of her cheek told her it was okay to open her eyes.  
  
When she had completely opened them, she gasped. She could hardly believe the scene before her eyes. In a corner over looking the city, Mush had taken the cushions off of a bench on the roof and placed one long one on the ground for them top share. Also in the corner was a blanket. It wasn't even close to being cold outside at that moment, but since it was late summer/early fall, evenings were beginning to get extremely chilly. Laina looked up at the position of the sun. 'It can't be later than 3:30' she thought to herself. 'How long is he planning on staying out here?'  
  
He took a piece of her hair and pulled it behind her shoulder. After one final sweep of her back with his hand, he walked towards the cushion. Half way there, he turned around to look at Laina, and when he began to approach the corner again, she followed him. Now ALL she wanted was to be held. She didn't care if they were complete strangers. (Oh wait; they DID hold each other when they were strangers..hehe). She just wanted to feel loved. 


	6. New friends

Author's Note: Ok people, I know I haven't updated in, like, forever, but I have been very busy, not to mention, I am extremely lazy, so, there ya go. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my rather oddly fluffy story, and please review!  
  
When Laina rushed in front and sat down before Mush did, he couldn't help but be a little shocked. However, he quickly recovered, and hurried over to join her.  
  
The moment he got settled, Laina buried her face in his neck. Caught off guard, Mush stopped moving altogether. Of course, when she sighed in content, he smiled and took her up in his arms, then lightly kissed the top of her head.  
  
It wasn't long before Mush was leaning completely into the corner, with Laina sitting sideways on his lap, resting her head on his inner shoulder, facing his neck.  
  
Mush pulled the blanket up around her waist. She was in no way cold, but didn't object, and put one of her arms around his back, and moved the other up to softly graze his bicep.  
  
He was in about the same position as she was. One of his strong arms was lain over her back, reaching down to her waist, and the other was softly stroking her check, and occasionally reaching up to move stray hairs off of her face.  
  
"Tell me what you's thinkin' about," Mush said in a deep rumble.  
  
"Well," Laina began, her quick and witty tone firmly in place, "I'll give ya three guesses, but you's only gonna need one." . "World affairs," Mush said, sarcasm dripping from his words. Laina looked up at him, and they both laughed.  
  
'This is interesting,' she thought to herself, 'One minute we're "just friends" and the next we're all over each other.'  
  
But their thoughts were interrupted when someone began pounding on the window.  
  
"Hey! Get your asses in here lovebirds, party at Medda's joint."  
  
The boy who said this was about 19, had dirty blonde hair, and a set of piercing hazel eyes.  
  
He was hot!  
  
It took Laina a moment to recover, remembering whose arms she was in.  
  
"Alright, Jack, I'm coming," (a/n: Ok, if Mush is 18, then Jack's going to be 19)  
  
So, this was Jack. Laina looked him up and down, 'He looks trustworthy enough. Roomin with him wont be so bad'  
  
"What do ya mean you's comin? Bring ya friend too, or were ya planning on leavin a pretty face out here?" Mush just laughed softly, but still with a trace of embarrassment, and stood up.  
  
He offered to help Laina up, she accepted, and he put an arm around her waist, guiding her over to Jack. "Jack, dis is Moonbeam, she's new, and is gonna be roomin with ya." Jack stuck out his hand for her to shake, and when she took it in her own, he said to her, "Nice ta meet ya Moonbeam, I'm Jack. Listen, if this bonehead's ever too much trouble for ya, come an' tell me."  
  
With this, Mush put a hand to his chest in mock surprise, and they all broke into laughter. When they recovered, Jack helped Laina inside, then said, "So Moonbeam, there's dis Newsie party tonight at Medda's place, you comin?"  
  
Laina started in an excited tone, "A party?! I'm there!" Jack laughed and said, "Alright, how much time do ya need to get ready?"  
  
Laina looked at him in disbelief. She had never been one of those 'girly girls' who spent hours making themselves look perfect, so she simply said, "Gimme a minute" and she looked herself up and down, thinking what she could change to make herself ready for a party, and threw her hair over her shoulder with one hand.  
  
"Okay, I'm ready." Jack and Mush both smiled, and Jack said, "Great, let's go," but Mush stopped and said, "Nah, I gotta make a quick stop uptown first, I'll meet ya there." Laina turned and gave him a 'huh?' sort of look, and Mush laughed softly. "Don'ts worry, I'll be right behind ya," and he threw an arm around her neck, and kissed her forehead before walking out of the room.  
  
She and Jack made an unspoken agreement to leave as well. 


	7. Rose Petals and Kisses

Author's note: Ok, I'm very bored (the way I spend the majority of my life), so, I decided to update.AGAIN! He he he, lol, well, here ya go, enjoy and please review!  
  
"So, how'd ya meet Mush?"  
  
They were walking through the town square, with tall buildings all around, and Laina had been looking at a copy of "A Little Princess" longingly in the window of a store called 'Solomon's Books' when she stopped to answer.  
  
"Uh.." She didn't think Jack needed to know exactly how they had met, so she just said, "I was just comin off the harbor, and, I dunno, we just, kinda..met." Jack gave her a quizzical look, then, what she really meant donned on him.  
  
"Oh, I get it, forget I asked." Laina gave him a great full smile, and they continued to make small conversation, slightly getting to know each other better.  
  
"This is it," Jack said when they reached Irving Hall. He looked at his watch and said, "Well, we's got about 20 minutes before people actually start showin up, so, ya wanna sit down?" gesturing to a long woo\den bench by the street.  
  
Laina and Jack sat on the bench in comfortable silence, staring I into the sunset. However, something caught Laina's eyes, and she squinted to see the person walking toward them.  
  
"I'll see ya later, Moonbeam." And he got up, leaving a confused Laina behind him. Because of the reflecting sun on the harbor, it took a while before she could see who was walking nearer, but soon realized who it was.  
  
Mush walked up to her, a wide smile across his face. Not sure why, Laina asked "What?" and it wasn't until he held his hand out to pull her off the bench that she noticed he was hiding something in his other hand behind his back.  
  
"What's going on Mush?" she said with a smile. But no matter how hard she tried, Mush wouldn't let her see the thing he was hiding from her.  
  
Seeing her growing frustration, he laughed and led her into an alley. He stood against a wall, Laina up close to him, still making an attempt to see what he was hiding. Finally giving up, he pulled a long-stem red rose out from behind his back, and said, "I wanted to find something as beautiful as you, but I don't think it exists."  
  
Laina was speechless. She'd never gotten a gift from a guy in her life, let alone a gift with a huge compliment attached to it. Mush was being so sweet, and realized how lucky she was to know him.  
  
It was then that she noticed the blank expression on her face, since Mush was giving her an uneasy look. 'Damn!' he thought, 'maybe she don't like flowers.' But his thoughts became lost when Laina wrapped her arms around his neck. 'Or.maybe she does' Mush thought with a smile as he took her waist in his arms  
  
She released him from her grasp, and smiled up at him. He just looked down at her, a look of deep affection in his eyes. He brought up a hand and with the back of his index finger stroked the length of her check, before moving it to her neck, and leaning in for a deep kiss.  
  
Laina gave wholeheartedly, moving her hands down to his chest, alternately caressing his collar bone and neck, winning small moans from the back of his throat. They had immediately slid their tongues into the other's mouth, not wanting to waste time gesturing that it was what they wanted.  
  
'Oh my god, she's like white chocolate' Was the first of many thoughts that came to Mush's mind. Laina detected a hint of what she could only associate with the wonderful taste of old spice. She wanted more of whatever this was, and Mush, not too far behind her, wanted the same, and they want deeper into each other's mouths. Mush lifted her slightly and placed her up against the wall. One of his hands, behind her neck, and the other was around her waist, making small circles with his fingertips.  
  
The kisses were soft, gentle, and full of love, and she never wanted this moment to end. But, to the great dislike of Laina, they WERE interrupted, by a sudden outburst of laughter from the street. Mush sighed in frustration, and they broke apart to look at the source of the laughter. Now Mush looked thoroughly annoyed, but his hand was still making small circles on her back.  
  
"Kid Blink, do me a favor." The one called Kid Blink perked up, looking utterly amused. "Yeah Mush?" "Take a long walk off a short dock." At these words, Kid Blink laughed harder than ever. "I would lover boy, but I'd be missing the party, kinda like you two are." And Kid Blink walked away, positively erupting with laughter.  
  
"We probably should get to the party too." Mush, glaring daggers in the direction Kid Blink had exited, had just seemed to have remembered where he was, and looked back at her. "Yeah, probably." And he grabbed her by the hand, leading her out of the alley, and out onto the dark and almost deserted street.  
  
Well, I hope you liked it, and now you know what to do. Yep, that's right..REVIEW!! *smiles widely 


	8. Newsie Party

Author's Note: okay, I realize that this entire story is very fluffy, but, I like fluffy *said in childish voice*, and I think this chapter is a little more intune to reality. Enjoy, and plz review! : )   
  
"Wow"  
  
Mush was leading Laina through a vast ocean of newsies. All around was color, noise, and laughter. Friends joking, some of whom had an arm around a girl, presumably their dates.  
  
He led her through a wide hall, then into the main auditorium, where she inwardly gasped yet again. He merely smiled, laughed softly and continued to enter the hall. Mush looked around, trying to find everyone else, and was almost immediately being called over by two newsies. Laina new one, Racetrack, and recognized the other to be the boy who had urged them to end their "moment" in the alley.  
  
Mush sat down and pulled the chair Laina was sitting in closer to his. Caught off guard, she jumped slightly, but once she was aware of who was pulling her and where she was going, she relaxed, blushing slightly. At this, Blink threw his head back, looking as though he might break into a rampage of laughter yet again.  
  
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a single word out, Mush pointed his index finger in Blink's direction warningly, but with an amused smile on his face. "Don't even think about it." Now Race, looking completely lost, looked back and forth between Blink and Mush, then at Laina's blushing cheeks, and understood......sort of.  
  
The boys chatted and joked for a while. Not really knowing who or what they were talking about, she allowed her mind to wander. She glanced around the magnificent room, slowly filling with more and more people, her eyes pausing on nothing in particular. In the depths of her daydream, the sound seemed to have been switched off. However, when Mush shook her arm, bringing her sharply back to reality, the noise met her ears full force.  
  
Jack was standing in the middle of the stage, motioning with his hands for everyone to quiet down. Once the hall got quiet enough for Jack to speak and actually be heard, he yelled back at all the newsies, "Alright, the party'll get started in a minute. Now, you all know Medda," and thunderous applause rang out as a beautiful woman stepped on from somewhere backstage.  
  
Once the cheering and whistling died down Jack continued, "But someone here doesn't know her, or many other of us. So," he now gestured to the people in charge of the lighting, "I'd like you all to meet a new but very special person," and he pointed directly at Laina, causing her face to turn a deep crimson. "Come on up here, Moonbeam."  
  
Before she could get a word out, Race, Blink, and to her surprise, Mush, were all pushing her towards the stage to where Jack stood, a wide smile on his face. She slowly got up, took a few paces, the turned to look at Mush, who smiled and urged her on. She turned, and walked toward the stage.  
  
Once more, the sound didn't seem to be working, and the stage appeared to not be getting any closer. She hated walking alone in front of crowds. Was she still moving? Or was she simply standing there gaping up at Jack like a complete idiot? This question was soon answered when she found herself at the foot of some steps. As if not knowing how she'd gotten there, she glanced down at them for a moment, and then climbed them.  
  
When she reached the place where Jack was standing, she didn't know if she should look at him, or the crowd, or just look down at her feet. Her ears were working properly again, and were met with an outburst of whistles and cheers. Once quieted, Medda, having been a sort of 'aunt' to all the newsies, walked up to her, and gave her a small, welcoming hug and said, "We hope to be seeing you frequently." She kissed Jack on the cheek swiftly before resuming her previous place on the stage. Jack cleared his throat and called out, "Fellas, this is Moonbeam, and she'll be staying in Manhattan. So don't even think about it Spot!"  
  
Heads turned in the direction of a handsome boy of about 18, who was sitting relaxed in a chair with his feet reclined on the table in front of him. "Yeah, alright Jackie Boy," and revealed a smug, confident smile. "Well, now that we's all introduced, let's party, boys!" Jack led Laina down the stairs while Medda's band struck up a song, and took her back to where she had been sitting. She sat down in her seat next to Mush, and gave him a 'did-you-know-that-was-gonna-happen?' look, which he returned by laughing and smiling broadly. She buried her face in her hands as she blushed intensely and punched him lightly on the arm before he pulled her out of her chair and on to his lap.  
  
While almost everyone else danced around to the music, Mush, Jack, Race, Blink, and Laina stayed at their table, having their own little party. After a little while, Spot came over to join them, face a little pink from dancing. Jack look quickly between Spot and Laina and said, "Oh yeah, this is Spot, incase you didn't catch that before." Spot held out his hand to Laina, which she shook with a grin. Soon after he sat down, Spot echoed the question that Jack had asked while walking to the hall that afternoon. "How'd you's two meet?" Laina and Mush exchanged yet another embarrassed glance, and she stuttered to find the right words. "Uh...well, uh...well, y- ya see, uh...w-what happened was..." and she blurted it out before she had time to get her tongue around the syllables, "came off 'arbor an' 'ell," she blurted out in a rush.  
  
*The boys exchanged looks*  
  
"Huh?" Spot said for everyone else who was thinking the same thing. Laina took a deep breath, and said, just as she had told Jack, eyes cast down at the floor, "Well, I was coming off of the harbor, and we just, kind of...met." Her head now hung limply in her embarrassment. Mush looked as though he might explode with laughter. She had no reason to be embarrassed, and he wanted her to know that.  
  
The other boys were grinning slyly at the two of them. "So that's why you haven't been around lately," Race said, nudging Mush in the arm with his elbow. Mush smiled and nodded slowly, eyes closed, trying desperately to contain his laughter. All around the table, the boys began to laugh. Laina, a little unnerved, laughed shyly. Seeing this, Mush looked up at her and when she looked down at him from her perch on his lap, he smiled and tightened his arms around her waist. She sat there limply for a moment, then, realizing that this wasn't a big deal, wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
She loosened up considerably, and joined in on the joking. Before long, Race had gotten out a deck of cards, and was doing the thing that he loved more than anything in the world....gambling. He dealt everyone in for a rousing game of poker, and, to everyone's great astonishment, Laina was putting all the boys' best poker tricks to shame.  
  
"She's gotta be cheatin'," Blink whispered to Jack behind his cards, in such an undertone, he was barely making any sound, and in combination with the loud noise of the packed hall, they jumped when Laina said, "I am not cheating, you all just can't play poker." Blink looked at her quizzically, and said, "How did ya-?" "I am extremely clean of hearing, so don't bother trying to whisper around me." Mush shot Blink a 'she's-got-a-point' look, and grinned softly at her. She never ceased to amaze him.  
  
They continued to play for six more hands, having run out of betting money. Laina, however, sat with a large pile of money in front of her. They all sat, open-mouthed as she counted up all the money they'd lost to her. As she finished, she looked up at them, and, laughing to herself, said, "Oh alright," and began sliding money back towards them. "I wasn't gonna keep it all anyway."   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ I hope you all liked this chapie, so plz, REVIEW!! I'll even take flames, jus lemme know ur out there and reading this!! I love you all : )  
  
shasanixie: thank you soOo much for the review. It made my day! And, here ya go, I fixeded it! Hey, spread the word about this story....the lack of readers is really dampening my writing spirit(. Ttyl! 


	9. The 'After Party'

Author's Note: Okay, here's a little update for all of you.....or at least for Renee, since nobody else seems to be reading my story.....well, here it goes. RENEE, I hope YOU like it.  
  
As the night progressed, the energy of the party had died down considerably. By 11 o'clock people had stopped dancing and were all sitting around tables, talking rapidly, but Laina could see dark circles forming under some of their eyes.  
  
She had, yet again, allowed her mind to wander from the dull conversation of the boys, and Mush was only half listening to them. Over the course of the evening, they had left the world of the party, and had slipped into their own.  
  
She had slumped down from her straight-backed perch on Mush's lap, and had wrapped her arms around his neck again. Since his chair had arms on it, she could lean back slightly into his strong arm that was around her waist. Her other arm was down on her thigh, and was clutching Mush's hand there. Their heads resting together, eyes closed. He was lightly stroking the side of her stomach and she was tracing a pattern of circles and 'Xs' on his upper back and shoulder. His thumb was gently massaging her hand, and she sighed in contentment.  
  
He pulled his face from her's, and she inwardly whimpered as the heat of his face left. He released her hand as well, which was returned to him by her glancing briefly down at it, then to his eyes. He gave her a soft smile, then, with the back of the hand that had been holding her's, he grazed her cheek lightly, then moved to the nape of her neck, pulling her in for a deep kiss.  
  
She reached up and ran her hand the length of his arm, feeling the muscles below his shirt sleeve. He lightly rubbed the base of her neck with his thumb, and she tilted her head slightly, deepening the kiss.  
  
As the two of them became even more lost in their own little world (not to mention, getting a little hot-and-heavy in the chair), a mixture of whistles and laughs came from the boys around the table. Laina and Mush broke apart and began to laugh as well.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly for a moment, and then they all decided to go and help Medda's attendants clean up.  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
After about two hours of sweeping floors, cleaning tables, placing chairs in a corner, and watching a "mop-and-soap" between Blink and Race, they were done. Just as Laina was bending down to put a mop and bucket away in a closet, Mush ran up behind her and picked her up around the waist. She issued a small scream of surprise as he began spinning her around in circles. When he put her down, she turned to face him. The sent of the cleaning products mixed pleasantly with his naturally sweet aroma.  
  
He smiled down at her and, taking both of her hands in his at their sides, he said loudly to the others, keeping his eyes fixed on her's, "See you boys later tonight," and began leading her out of the room. "Uh....bye, I guess?" Race said. "Nice meetin' ya guys," Laina said over her shoulder. "See ya later," Spot said to her and Mush. "Yeah," Mush said quickly.  
  
As soon as they were out of the huge auditorium, they found themselves in a smaller hallway. Mush seemed to know where he was going, so Laina just held on for the ride. He led her through curtains and doors until they reached a standstill. They were in the middle of a large circular enclosure of curtains, and the moonlight shone through several windows, casting elegant shadows all around them.  
  
Mush moved slowly toward her, still grasping her hand. He had a serious look about him which accented his features in the moonlight to a point that made Laina feel weak at the knees.  
  
When he reached her, he took her waist up in his arms. She slowly ran her hands up his arms, and finally his neck, and she let them linger there. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Laina placed a finger over his mouth, and shook her head slightly, a seductive smile curling across her lips. "I had fun tonight," she said, returning her hand to his neck. "No reason to stop there," he said deeply, bringing her even closer. She smiled softly and pulled his face down, indulging him in a deep, affectionate kiss.  
  
It was quite a romantic scene. The moonlight, shining through the white, elegant curtains, the gentle shadows surrounding, and them, in an enclosure of sheer slivery curtains. She snaked her hands from his neck to his color bone, to his well defined chest, back up to his biceps and shoulders, all movements slow and enticing.  
  
As she did this, he ran his finger tips up and down the length of her spine, sending chills throughout her body, which she returned by deepening the kiss even further. He pulled her closer yet to him, loving the way her body felt against his. It was though they were ment for one another, and their two bodies had been a beautiful figurine that had been broken in two, the pieces lost to the four winds. Now that they'd found each other, he was never letting her go.  
  
She pulled away, much to the displeasure of Mush, and giggled as she began to walk towards one of the windows. There was unnecessary distance between them...'Why' Mush thought desperately to himself. He advanced on her, and she ducked behind a curtain, poking her head out of the other side, laughing harder. This continued for a few more minutes, but was ended when she backed herself into a corner, a sheer curtain from the nearby window blowing gently in the breeze.  
  
Her shoulders against the wall, with her lower back away from it. Mush walked up to her slowly, gazing hard into her eyes. He placed his hands on her hips, pulling her away from the wall and back into him. Which was pretty pointless, since he moved her back against the wall. But this time, he was pressed against her, still loving how their bodies fit together.  
  
Without saying another word, he brushed her hair behind her ear, and, keeping his hand lost in her soft hair, brought her in for another gentle kiss. He pressed harder against her, and she loosely placed her hands around his magnificent waist.  
  
He lifted her by the waist, and she moved her hands from his waist to his shoulders, wrapping her legs around him. After a little while of this, he slowly slid her down. They broke apart, and in the short amount of time in which they gaze into each other's eyes, Laina lightly rubbed the side of his neck, and he kissed her swiftly.  
  
"Hey, I gotta go talk to Jack and Spot for a sec. Will ya wait for me outside?"  
  
"Sure, just, how do I get outta here?"  
  
He led her back even further in the hall, and out one of the doors.  
  
"Okay, I'll be back in a minute so," and he again kissed her swiftly, "don't go anywhere."  
  
She smiled up at him, and leaned against the wall. "'Kay," she half whispered to his retreating back.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So? Did you like it? I think this gets better at the end than it was in the beginning. Let me know what you thought!♥  
  
~♥~Wildchild22~♥~ 


	10. Meeting the Delancy's

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Dum dee dum......  
  
Laina stood there, silently staring around the dark and empty street, waiting for Mush to return. She stood with her back against the wall, becoming more and more bored as every silent second passed.  
  
It had been nearly 20 minutes since Mush had left, and she held her promise of staying where she was. 'This is getting stupid,' she thought out loud. Pushing herself off of the wall, she made her way through the streets, her arms swinging freely by her sides. She walked up one block, then back down it on the opposite side of the street.  
  
She started toward Irving Hall again, headed to the front entrance. She got to the building in an alarmingly short amount of time. She decided to first make a lap around the building in case Mush was at the place where he'd left her.  
  
She slowly made her way around the edge of the building, staring down at the road in front of her. When she reached the spot she'd been before, and saw that Mush wasn't back yet, she continued to make her way through the nearby streets. She walked through alleys, lanes, and the main roads for 20 minutes when she heard voices up ahead.  
  
Thinking that it might be Mush, she made her way speedily through the streets between herself and the source of the chatter. When she arrived at the scene, her apprehensive smile faded slightly when she saw that it was not Mush and one of the other guys talking, but two boys she'd never met.  
  
"Uh, sorry," she said, beginning to turn around to leave, "thought you were someone else." As she walked away from them, the considerably better looking one of the two (though he was still rather ugly) got up and stepped in front of her, cutting her off. "Well maybe we can help. Who were you looking for, sweet face?" Trying to get back to the main street, she said, "Oh, just a friend of mine. I'm sure he's waiting back at the hall for me."  
  
The other boy had gotten up now, and was making his way slowly over to join the other. "Well maybe we know him. What's his name?" Laina shifted her weight to the opposite foot and said defiantly, "Actually, I've got a bunch of friends waiting for me. Mush, Spot, Jack-" "Spotty and Cowboy? Oh, uh, I just saw 'em right up there, " he lied.  
  
"You kidding?" she said disbelievingly. "Oscar and Morris Delancy never lie to pretty girls," he said, making respectable gestures to indicate which one was which. "Hm," she considered it for a moment, and then said, "Okay, show me where."  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
The two brothers led Laina through a few alley ways, across a street, and back into another alley. Only when Morris closed a short gate behind them did Laina get the idea that something wasn¡¯t right.  
  
"So, are you and Mush an item or something?" Slightly distracted, Laina said with the merest trace of a quaver in her voice, "Uh, yeah, I guess so." In a flash, Morris had advanced on her, a look of demented hunger in his lifeless eyes. Laina punched him hard in nose, but as soon as he began falling backwards, Oscar took her arms from behind and shoved her hard to the ground, pinning her by the wrists. Morris had somehow recovered, and came up to aid his equally menacing brother. Morris now pinning her arms as Oscar placed a hand over her mouth. He said, "What was Mush thinking, trying to keep such a pretty thing all to himself. That's very selfish, very selfish indeed. Maybe I should teach him how to share." And with that, he ran a cold, clammy finger down the length of her cheek.  
  
If there was ever a time in her life she was scared, it was now. She didn¡¯t care how it happened, she just wanted to get away from these two evil slime balls. She wanted to scream. They were violating her, mentally, as well as physically. She wanted them dead. She wanted them to die a slow, painful death, with plenty of pain and torture. She knew the two of them combined were too strong for her, but still, she would not cease in her attempts to escape.  
  
She was just about to give up when suddenly, she heard familiar voices coming from the street. It only took a second for her to recognize to whom the voices belonged. She could hear, Jack, Spot, and Mush walking in the street, shouting her name. Laina released a muffled scream. They heard her, and came running.  
  
When they reached the awful scene, she inwardly smiled in relieve. As what they were seeing registered in their stunned minds, looks of disgust, rage and hatred took over their faces. Spot was the first to find his voice, and shouted, "What the _hell_ do you assholes think you're doing!!!!" Mush and Jack hadn¡¯t been able to speak, but they could definitely move.  
  
Mush ran up to Oscar (who was sitting astride Laina) and kicked him hard in the jaw, sending him flying off of her. Jack and Spot had begun attacking Morris, freeing Laina's hands, enabling her to crawl away into a corner. She wanted to help. She wanted to kill those two sad excuses for men. She wanted to do... something, but she couldn¡¯t move. All she could do was sit in a corner, hugging her knees, a look of horrified shock on her face. She hated depending on someone to come along and "rescue" her. But right now, she was just glad not to be alone anymore, and she'd kick herself for it later.  
  
When Oscar and Morris where both knocked unconscious, Spot spat upon both of them. Mush was so furious it was almost scary. But when he looked over at her, all she could see in his eyes was love.  
  
He turned back away, and kicked both bodies lying on the ground. Jack helped Laina off the ground, and she gave both he and Spot small hugs of gratitude. She was standing beside Spot when Mush looked back at her.  
  
'How could I let this happen.'  
  
Mush was already blaming himself, and Laina knew he shouldn¡¯t be. After all, it was her fault. She started to limp over to him, but fell to all fours in her efforts. Mush was instantly at her side, pulling her back up to her feet. Once she regained her balance, he put a hand at her waist, the other up at her face.  
  
"I'm sorry I wasn¡¯t there to stop them," Mush said, self disappointment radiating from under his anger. "It was my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have been--" "Are you okay?" Mush asked, obviously not taking in a word she was saying. "I'm okay, don¡¯t--" "Did they hurt ya? They didn¡¯t hit ya did they? 'Cause if they did I swear to God I'll kill 'em!"  
  
Mush wasn¡¯t getting any calmer, so Laina took his face in her hands and said, "I promise, I'll be okay." But he pulled her into a firm embrace all the same. She wrapped her arms around his neck, he lifted her up off of the ground. She wrapped her sore legs around his waist, and he just kept a firm hold on her mid-back as he proceeded to carry her the whole way back to the lodging house, up the stairs, and into her and Jack's room.  
  
He sat her down on the bed, and removed her shoes for her. "Don'ts worry pal, I'll keep an eye on her tonight," Jack said, sensing how tired Mush was. "No thanks, I'll stay with her tonight. I'll be back later." Jack too said he'd give Laina time to get ready for bed, so she took out the baggy white shirt and huge grey pants that she usually slept in, and quickly changed once the boys had left.  
  
She ran down the hall to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before darting back into her room. She was sitting at the head of her bead "Indian style" (a/n: I know that term is now politically incorrect, but I don¡¯t really know any other way to describe it, so I apologize if it offends you) when she heard a knock on her door.  
  
"Come in," she said aimlessly, but perked up slightly when Mush slowly opened the door and walked in. He still had a look of deep concern on his face. "How do ya feel? Any better?" was the first thing he said when he was fully in the room. "A little. What happened to Jack? He left about n hour ago?"  
  
A mischievous yet still concerned smile spread across his face. "He's...uh...taking care of some business for me." Laina was about to question more, but was side tracked when Mush held out his hand, beckoning her to his side. She willingly got up and crossed the room to taking his hand in hers. He pulled her into a long, soft embrace.  
  
She pressed up against his chest with her head flat against it. The hand she'd given him was still in his, but he'd brought it around behind her back. He released her slowly and said, "You sure you're gonna be all right?" "I think I'll be okay, I'm just really tired."  
  
He led her over to her bed, and tucked her into it. Then, he grabbed a chair, placing it beside her bed, and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. As he bent down, Laina turned her head up, and took his face in her hands, kissing him gently.  
  
When they separated, Mush smiled softly down at her, then kissed her forehead. He sat back down in the chair and pulled it closer to the bed. "Go to sleep, you'll need it for tomorrow."  
  
"Why, what's tomorrow?"  
  
"Shh, you'll see."  
  
"Mush, you're exhausted. You should go to sleep."  
  
"Nah, I'll be okay. Besides, I wanna be here if the Delaney's try anything." A look of despise played across Mush's face, and it was a look that Laina did not want to fall asleep to.  
  
"If it makes you feel better, but I promise, I'll be okay." With that, Laina sat up and kissed him yet again. She wanted to take his mind off the Delancy brothers, and on to more important things...like sleep. When she started to lay back down to her bed, Mush grabbed the back of her head, keeping her mouth locked on his.  
  
When he put distance between them, he said, "I can't believe they had the nerve--" but Laina cut him off, covering his mouth with two fingers before he could say any more. "Don't worry about it. Now come on, we both need to sleep."  
  
Laina lay back down to her pillow, and Mush sat up all night, watching her sleep.  
  
¢¾☺☺☺☺☺¢¾  
  
There's a nice update for ya, I know it's been FOREVER since I last updated, but hey, life's crazy, and time flies! Other stories coming soon, so check em out if ya wanna! Pleeeeaaaaaaaaasssssssssseeeeeeeeee review! Let me know you're out there!  
  
¢¾Wildchild22¢¾ 


	11. The Day After

Author's note: Again, dum dee dum.....  
  
When Laina woke the next morning, Mush had left the chair he'd been sitting in before. She sat up and saw that jack had returned from where he had gone the night before. He was sitting on his bead reading a book while sipping a cup of steaming coffee, and lifted it to her when he noticed she was awake.  
  
"Mornin' Moonbeam," Jack said in an aimless tone, keeping his eyes on his book once he'd lowered his mug.  
  
"Mornin'. Hey, where can I get some of that?" she said, gesturing to the mug of coffee in his hand.  
  
"Oh, uh, down at Tibby's. You goin' alone?" "No." Mush had just entered the room through the half opened door. "I'll go with her." Jack greeted Mush in the same fashion he had greeted Laina, and went back to reading his book again with his coffee mug now sitting on his nightstand. "I'll wait for ya by the stairs."  
  
Laina quickly grabbed a clean white shirt (a/n: I know I have her wearing white a lot, but hey, it looks good on her), black pants, and black boots. She half ran to the bathroom to take a shower. A quick look out of a window told her that it was still very early in the morning, and she wanted to get a hot shower before all the guys could.  
  
She turned the water on and stood under it. It was so relaxing to just stand under the steamy water. When she got out, she towel dried her hair and let it hang around her shoulders, not bothering to do anything special with it since Mush was waiting for her.  
  
When she met Mush by the stairs, he was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, brown cut off pants, suspenders hanging down at his sides (a/n: think of what he was wearing during Seize the Day Chorale) and had a brown hat in his hand.  
  
"Hey. How'd ya sleep?" he asked while slipping an arm around he waist, guiding her out of the building and out onto the dimly lit street. "Pretty good actually. How 'bout you? You sleep at all?" Though she didn't really need to ask. Dark circles under Mush's eyes signified that if he had slept at all, it wasn't a very good quality of sleep. "A little," he half lied, "how ya feeling, you okay?" "I need some coffee, but other than that I'm okay."  
  
She latched both arms around his waist as they walked. He moved the arm that was around her waist up around her shoulders, giving her a quick squeeze before returning it to her side. She released a hand and left the other around his back. They walked in comfortable silence until they got to Tibby's.  
  
When they entered the restaurant, their faces instantly went from happy to thoroughly disgusted. Inside, seated in a corner, they found two extremely bruised and bandaged Delancy brothers. 'Looks like Jack found 'em last night,' Laina thought to herself.  
  
When they saw Laina and Mush walk in, and saw the look of repulsion in their eyes, they quietly squealed and ran out the back door. Mush was still fuming when they found a booth in the corner for them to sit in. Laina went up to order some coffee for the two of them, and when she returned, he was still oozing with rage. She was sitting across from him, and he had become determined to tear the napkin in front of his to shreds in his finger tips. She couldn't stand it, so, she reached out, taking his hands in hers.  
  
He looked up at her, and then directed his eyes back down. She just shook her head lightly, and got up, coming around the edge of the table to sit next to him in the booth.  
  
When she got to him, he wrapped an arm around her waist before she could even sit down, and pulled her up close to his side. She looked up into his eyes, and brought a hand up to his face, trying desperately to calm him back down. He pulled her into a deep, fierce kiss. When they broke apart, Laina saw he had a grieved look on his face.  
  
"I'm so sorry that happened." He said in a tone of fought anger and swallowed tears. She leaned closer to him, placing her forehead on his and whispered, "I know, I know, its okay-"  
  
"No it's not! I should've been there! I should've been there to protect you- "  
  
"No! I shouldn't have gone with them. They said they'd seen you back in that alley an-"  
  
"I'm sorry Laina-"  
  
"No, I'm sorry."  
  
"I-" but he couldn't do it. He couldn't tell her that he loved her, not just yet.  
  
"You, what, Mush?"  
  
"I just," he tried desperately to think of something to say to smooth over his abnormal outburst.  
  
"I just can't forgive myself for not being there to stop them, and you shouldn't either." Mush was acting as if it was all his fault, and Laina couldn't help but be miserable. She took his face in her hands and said with intensity, "Mush, it wasn't. Your. Fault. It wasn't anyone's fault but theirs. It'll come back to them, no one can escape their own karma."  
  
Mush just stared back at her, a combined look of vulnerability and self defeat written all over him. Seeing this made Laina's heart ache. She felt horrible.  
  
'It's all your fault you know,' said a menacing voice from the back of her head.  
  
'What? How? I couldn't do anything-'  
  
'Oh yes you could! You could've, and should've stayed put, never left that place. Then maybe you wouldn't be causing him so much pain.'  
  
'How am I-'  
  
'Look at him, he's so miserable, and it's all. Your. Fault.'  
  
When the voice's shrill laughter faded away, Laina thought about what it had said. 'You're making him miserable. It's all your fault.' Laina whimpered, and put her head down on Mush's shoulder. 'It can't be my fault, can it?' She whimpered again in her growing frustration. Mush threw his arms around her, and they sat there, holding each other.  
  
The waiter brought their coffee and a small basket of muffins, and they slowly devoured the meal. They sat their, sitting in comfortable silence, and although they were no longer in the other's arms, their thighs tickled the other's.  
  
When they had finally finishes and left a nickel on the table, they set out into the street. Their hands clasped together, heads cast down to the ground. Laina couldn't bear to be causing him so much pain.  
  
'I'll leave then, tonight. It's all my fault he's so sad, so I'll just leave.'  
  
---------------------------  
  
Mush and Laina went back to the lodging house, and went up to the roof, where the cushions and blankets still sat (a/n: yes, it magically hasn't rained or been windy since the last time they were there). They sat down on it, resuming the position from the booth in Tibby's.  
  
They sat there holding each other in comfortable silence for almost a half an hour. As Mush softly stroked her bicep and upper back, she sighed occasionally, sinking deeper into his chest. Then the thought that had been floating around in her head since they left Tibby's came up again.  
  
She couldn't stand to be causing him so much agony. She sat up to look him in the face, and he simply stared back, a look of desire, grief, and rage in his eyes. He brought up a hand to gently touch her face. As he did, she closed her eyes, pressing her cheek into his hand. He leaned in and locked her in a soft kiss.  
  
Just as they began to separate, Laina felt something moist on her arm. When they broke apart, they could see that it was beginning to rain heavily. Mush began to stand up to go inside, but Laina stayed where she was. She liked rain, ever since she was little she'd loved the feeling rain gave her. It was like all the sadness and problems in her life were being washed away. It was an immense feeling of hope, and of freedom. She wanted to share this feeling with Mush, and possibly ease his pain a little.  
  
He gave her a confused look, but when she smiled up at him, he smiled back. He lifted her up by the hands and she closed her eyes and looked to the sky. She threw out her arms and began to spin around in circles. Mush laughed at the for a minute, but they were both laughing when she grabbed his hands and they began spinning together.  
  
Mush began to slow down, but Laina kept going, so she let go of his hands and resumed spinning with her closed eyes to the sky. Getting an idea, Mush came up behind her and pocked her hard in the side, causing her to squeal, and turn around to face him. She was making her way up to him, but squealed yet again when Mush grabbed her around the waist and picked her up off the ground.  
  
She wrapped her legs around his firm stomach, and placed her hands on his shoulders. He spun around a few times before stopping completely and saying, "So I guess this means you're okay?"  
  
"That's what I've been trying to tell you. I'm fine, really."  
  
Mush brought her back down to the ground, and gazed deep into her eyes. She gazed back into his, and knew she couldn't leave. Not now anyway.  
  
"What are we gonna do today?" Laina asked, a seductive grin playing across her soaking wet face, locks of hair beginning to curl sticking to it.  
  
"Well, it's raining now, so I guess there's only one thing we can do," Mush said, with an equal look of seduction.  
  
Laina pretended to be thinking hard, when she blurted out, "Go swimming!" And she ran over to the fire escape and began to climb down it, leaving a confused and amused Mush behind her.  
  
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So, how was that one? Let me know what all of you thought of this chapter!â˜º  
  
♥Wildchild22♥ 


	12. A Little Rain and a Swim

Author's Note: This could be the last chapter for a little while, so, hope you enjoy it....  
  
When Mush got down the fire escape and onto the street, Laina was dancing around idiotically in the middle of the square.  
  
When he got to her, she looked over at him and smiled widely. She laughed harder than ever when Mush began to chase her around the statue of Horace Greeley.  
  
After their third lap around the statue, Mush changed directions and ran up to her head-on. She saw him coming though, and jumped into his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck, released him, and started running up the street. She ran the whole way to the harbor, and jumped in. She began swirling around as if water was a soul ingredient of happiness, and she'd been deprived for far too long.  
  
Mush laughed at her quizzically, but when she waved him in, he jumped. They played a game of "splash" for a while, but the mood was altered when Mush grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. After a moment of gazing into each others eyes, Laina pressed her soaked body against his, and as she moved in for a soft kiss, Mush placed two on her lips and said, "Well, this ain't very lady-like."  
  
Laina laughed and buried her face in his neck. "You ain't exactly being a proper gentleman either, so complainin' mista." Mush replied by putting on a look of fake shock.  
  
"Well then, I'll have to make some changes," and he began to swim away. Getting frustrated, Laina dove into the water and swam smoothly under him, her chest softly grazing the shallow water's murky floor.  
  
When she popped up a few feet in front of him, he smiled at her soaked face. He moved up to her, pulling her long hair over her shoulder. He was taller than her, so his feet were flat on the ground, while she had to stand on her toes to keep her head above the water.  
  
Knowing this, she wrapped her legs around his waist again, pulling him closer. She rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her self around his soaked body. He held her around her back, keeping her as close as possible.  
  
"Now that's the way my lady should act," he said, earning a slap on the shoulder.  
  
"Excuse me? Your lady?" she was now sitting up, looking him in the face. Her hands were on his shoulders, legs still around his waist. "You're my goil as long as I have a say in it. If it were up to me, you'd never leave my side." This was said with so much depth and longing that Laina couldnt help but melt.

She brought a hand up to her heart and said with sarcasm, "Aw, how swett," brings hand back to his shoulder "but if I'm your goil, then that makes you my guy, and my guy's gotta act a sertain way," she finished, matter-of-factly.

"Oh, really. Well then, how should _your_ guy be like?"

Laina thought for a moment. Since she'd never actually had a "guy" before, she honestly had no clue as to how one should act.

"Well, if i told you, what fun would that be?"

Mush smiled at her, and took her wet face in his hands, kissing her softly. Laina did a mock faint and fell backwards into the water. Since her legs were still around his waist, she was lying just below the surface of the water. As she went down, Mush moved his hands from her back to her hips. At this, Laina pulled her lower body closer to him, winning a small moan from his throat.

He reached under the water, pulling her up by the shoulder blades. She rolled herself up, bringing her head up last, pressing herself up against him. When she was completely out of the water she resumed her previous position of being wrapped entirly around him. "Come on," he said, begining to walk back to the docks. Laina simply nodded and held on tighter as they descended to shallow water.

When they were out of the water, Mush carried Laina all the way to the docks before letting her down. It was still raining slightly, and they were both completely drenched. When Laina's feet met the ground, Mush instantly wrapped his arms around her waist. She brought her hands up to the sides of his neck, and smiled up at him.

"How do you fell?" she asked, still smiling slightly.

"Great," Mush replied in question, as if not understanding why he felt so good.

"It's the rain," Laina continued, escaping his grasp and begining to edge closer to the water again,"and the water. Ever since i was little rain always made me feel better. Like the rain was washing away all of my problems, giving me a fresh start."

But suddenly she fell quiet, her face falling, and becoming sad. Seeing this, Mush took her face in his hands and asked, "What's wrong?" a sincere look of concern in his eyes.

Truthfully, it was because she'd startred to think about her past. Remembering her painful past in combination to the night before was too much for her heart at once.

"What's wrong," he repeated, only now it was said with a tone of finality. Laina sighed, and said, "I don't like to think about my past."

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How was that? This is seriously the last for a little while, only because i have to get all the ideas for this story i have on paper into order. Let me know if you like it, and if you dont, flame, just let me know youre out there.


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